UNHCR says 13% of Mexicans believe the southern border should be closed

The survey, conducted by Data Opinión Pública y Mercados, was conducted on 1,008 Mexicans, with a margin of error of 3.1.

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The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Mexico warned on Monday of citizens’ lack of knowledge and prejudices regarding migrants and refugees, according to a survey, in which 13% of Mexicans believed that ” the southern border should be closed and they should be expelled to their country.”

The survey, “What does the Mexican population think about human mobility?”, also showed that 51% of citizens believe that the Government should respond according to the rights and needs of people in an irregular situation, and 32% considered that “it should only allow them to travel quickly through Mexico.”

The report also revealed that 85% of Mexicans believe that the reasons why people on the move leave their countries of origin are economic, and only 10% reported violence in their country of origin.

UNHCR noted that “this result highlights the lack of knowledge about the causes of human mobility,” since according to the 2023 Protection Monitoring Report, more than 50% of people were displaced “due to violence, insecurity and threats.”

The survey also found that 45% of Mexicans said they did not know the difference between a migrant, who leaves their country primarily for economic reasons, and a refugee, who cannot return to their country due to risks to their life, safety or freedom.

“This result could impact perceptions of the population on the move , since by ignoring the implications of being a refugee for a person, their rights and the obligations of the State in their international protection are ignored,” the UN Agency warned.

The survey also included a list of prejudices, where 52% agreed with the statement “the presence of refugees and migrants increases crime in my city”, 48% with the statement “refugees and migrants reject the customs of the place where they arrive”, and 41% agreed that their presence on the streets “creates an unpleasant environment”.

UNHCR warned that “in the face of a scenario of continuous arrivals of people in need of asylum and protection, it is essential to continue working to identify the causes of discrimination and strengthen actions to prevent and eradicate prejudices, stereotypes and stigmas.”

The UN agency’s representative in Mexico, Giovanni Lepri, stressed in a statement that “evidence and reliable data are the best tools to counteract prejudices.”

“Since the lack of real information is a friend of xenophobia, knowledge of real data favors inclusion,” said Lepri.

The survey, conducted by Data Opinión Pública y Mercados, was conducted on 1,008 Mexicans, with a margin of error of 3.1 and a statistical confidence level of 95%, the consulting firm said.